While Henrik Zetterberg's retirement announcement last Friday generated many well-wishes, it also drew some skepticism regarding the timing and years left on his contract.

But as The Athletic's Craig Custance reports, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league is satisfied it wasn't a "precooked" arrangement where Zetterberg was always likely to retire at this time.

Zetterberg's contract - signed during the last collective bargaining agreement in 2009-10 - had three years left on a 12-year, $73 million contract. While his deal carries cap hits of more than $6 million over the next three years, the actual salary is $3.35 million this season and just $1 million in each of the following two seasons. 

"We don’t question it by any means," Daly told The Athletic, regarding Zetterberg's back injury and early retirement. "We know he’s been suffering and it's been a significant issue for a number of years going back to the Olympics. He couldn’t even participate in the Olympics. 

"You know it had to be a serious injury. I have no doubt to the bona fides of the situation."

Daly added the league will still probably investigate Zetterberg's situation, just to be sure. 

"Will we [investigate] to make sure we check the boxes? Probably."

With the cap recapture penalty added to the current CBA, fewer contracts like Zetterberg's will be on the books each passing year and the situation becomes less of a issue. But Daly said the league will continue to keep an eye on certain contracts, like those of Montreal Canadiens defenceman Shea Weber and Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo, where the players could also retire before their contracts are up.

The Nashville Predators, who signed Weber to a 14-year, $110 million deal in 2012 before trading him to the Canadiens in 2016, and Vancouver Canucks, who signed Luongo to a 12-year, $64 million deal in 2010 before trading him to the Panthers in 2013, could be faced with stiff cap penalties in the case of an early retirement.